ABOUT

From 1994 to 2007, Indonesians living in urban areas who bought fresh fruits and vegetables in comparison to rice, increased from 50% to 100%. As more people recognize the positive health benefits of consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, the demand for these products in the local and international markets has increased. However, as Indonesia relies heavily on importing fresh produce, its domestic horticulture sector has continued to shrink. For Indonesia to benefit from this increased demand, it needs to rely less on imports and focus more locally.

So, what’s the problem? In recent years, farmers have been affected by changes in the climate, weather patterns and in the availability of water. Farmers also don’t have great access to markets and information or technical support – all of which result in low quality produce. For the country to be more self-sufficient, they will need to adapt and adopt innovative technologies and increase farmers’ knowledge on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP).

Through this project, we plan to provide information services that supports 100,000 (chili, tomato and cucumber) farmers increase their production and food security, as well as reduce their inputs of water, fertilizers and pesticides in 3 Indonesian provinces and 14 regencies. The information services will be: Crop Calendar via SMS, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) via Mobile App, as well as Market Information via SMS and Mobile App.

Netherlands Space Office (NSO) and the G4AW Program

This project is funded by the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) and is one of 17 Geodata for Agriculture and Water (G4AW) projects worldwide. Follow the links to their websites for more information about NSO and G4AW.